Six foreign tourists died in November 2024 after drinking alcohol laced with methanol at a backpacker hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos.
The first deaths to surface were two Australians, Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19 and from Melbourne. Jones died after being flown to a hospital in Thailand for treatment. Bowles was fighting for her life in the same country. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the ordeal every parent’s worst nightmare and said the nation was thinking of Bowles.
The others who died were James Hutson, 57, an American; Simone White, 28, of Britain; and two Danes, Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21. All six had drunk at the Nana Backpackers hostel.
The two Australians became sick on the evening of Nov. 13 while out drinking with a group. Thai doctors said Jones died of “brain swelling due to high levels of methanol found in her system.” Methanol is sometimes slipped into mixed drinks at disreputable bars and can poison the body, sometimes fatally.
Penny Wong, Australia’s foreign minister, said the tragedy reached far beyond one hostel. “Drink spiking and methanol poisoning are far too common in many parts of the world,” she said.
New Zealand said a citizen of its own was also unwell in Laos and might have been poisoned. Denmark’s foreign ministry said two of its citizens had died there without giving details. U.S. officials confirmed an American had died but declined to say more, citing the family’s privacy.
Vang Vieng is a riverside stop popular with backpackers for partying and adventure sports. Landlocked Laos ranks among the poorest nations in Southeast Asia.
Sources
- American and Australian tourists in Laos die of alcohol poisoning, raising toll to 4 – Los Angeles Times
- Australia will fight for justice over methanol-poisoning deaths – The Australian Women's Weekly
